The liberal-leaning United Church of Christ launched its national TV advertising program today but said the ads had been rejected by CBS and NBC as too controversial.

The creative 30-second ad shows the Cleveland-based UCC's welcoming stance toward homosexuals and anyone else who might feel shunned in elsewhere in society.

The networks have stated that the ad was too controversial to broadcast because it implied exclusion of gay and lesbian couples by other groups, according to the UCC.

The ad was accepted by ABC Family, AMC, BET, Discovery and TBS, among others, the UCC said.

The UCC's 3 1/2-week, $1.7 million campaign is meant to attract new members will be featured on cable and network TV and could be extended into 2005.

The ad shows a muscular bouncer, working a rope line outside a handsome but nameless church, deciding who is eligible to enter and worship.

"No, step aside, please," he says to two men holding hands.

Across the screen comes the message, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." The final scene shows two women embracing.

"We're doing it because we made a discovery: there are lots of people out there who don't know we exist," said Ron Buford, who is coordinating the program for the 1.3 million-member denomination, down from 1.7 million in 1989. The UCC has 6,000 congregations.

United Church of Christ: http://www.ucc.org